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A word of advice: Don’t spend longer than ten minutes staring at your own anus in a mirror.

Buttholes are, in general, not particularly pretty. If you stare at them for long enough and get lost in their depths, you will develop a complex. You will suddenly be deeply concerned with the colour, size, and hairiness of a little hole from which poo emerges.

This is madness, because an anus does not need to be beautiful. Even if it is used for sexual purposes, it does not need to be so smooth, hairless, and perfectly puckered that it looks like an anus crafted by Rodarte.

Save yourself the bother and don’t look. Or you may become part of a growing trend. A growing trend for anal bleaching.

Anal bleaching is not, in any way, a new thing. It’s been around for ages, particularly among men who have sex with men.

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But more recently, anal bleaching has become increasingly popular among women, prompted in part by celebrities including Kourtney Kardashian, Charlotte Crosby, and Sophie Kasaei opening up about whitening their bumholes.

(Picture: Getty)

The ease of accessing porn likely has some influence, too – most women in porn have bleached anuses that match the surrounding area perfectly.

Sheri Johnson, clinic manager at HB Health of Knightsbridge, told the Mail Online that they’ve seen a rise of 23% in requests for anal bleaching in the last year. The majority of the treatments have been laser therapy, with around 5% opting for cream bleach treatments.

Laser treatments tend to require multiple sessions, using a high-tech laser to remove a layer of melanine, which is responsible for darkness. It can be painful (many people will use general anaesthetic), and there’s a risk of infection and scarring.

Cream treatments work in the same manner as skin bleaching, with products available through clinics and online.

The aim is to get rid of the natural darkness around the anus and make it match the rest of the skin.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

‘I think women are feeling under pressure from their partners to emulate the look of adult stars that are seen in porn,’ says Sheri.

It’s worth noting that having darker skin around the anus is entirely normal, natural, and nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just like your nipples and vulva in the fact that it can range in tone, from pink to brown.

But if you are bothered by the darkness around your anus, it’s absolutely crucial to go to a professional rather than trying any at-home treatments. Using bleaching products anywhere can cause damage and pain, but you definitely don’t want to put it on particularly sensitive bits.

Oh, and if anyone requests that you bleach your bumhole for them, please sit them down and show them a bunch of anuses that don’t appear in porn. Explain that having a darker area around your butt is entirely normal, and that your body is your own – you’ll only change it for yourself.